Puma

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Puma Species: Concolor The cougar has a fairly uniform, tawney brown coat with a lighter under-belly. The tips of their ears are somewhat darker. They are approximately the size of a great dane dog. Cougars are also known regionally by the names mountain lion, puma, and panther.

it?s a large graceful cat, of the family Felidae, that is exceeded in size only by the jaguar among cats of the New World. The name puma is derived from usage by the Inca Indians.

A male puma may grow to be 1. 8 m (6 ft) long, plus a tail of 60-90 cm (2-3 ft). Cougars long tails may be one-third of their total body length. An adult male cougar weighs between 63 and 90 kg (140-200 lbs), and a female cougar, between 40 and 50 kg (90-120 lbs). The coat ranges in color from reddish to brownish yellow or gray. Black stripes reach from the mouth to the eyes, and the tail tip is black. The head is small and round with a black spot over the eyes. Pumas usually live to be about 12 years old, but they have been known to live up to 19 years in captivity.

Cougars are most active at dusk and dawn. However, they will roam and hunt at any time of the day or night and in all seasons. Pumas eat a variety of foods but rely heavily on deer where available. It will also feed on wild sheep, elk, rabbits, beaver, raccoons, grouse, and occasionally livestock. A cougar is capable of killing a 270 kg (600 lb) moose. It climbs well, is an excellent jumper, and often drops from limbs onto its prey. Its powerful limbs allow it to jump to heights of 18 feet (5. 5 meters) or more.

Generally, cougars are solitary. If tracks show two or more cougars traveling together, it probably indicates a female with kittens. Cougars have four toes with three distinct lobes present at the base of the pad. Claws are retractable, so they usually do not leave imprints.

Cougars eat only meat. About 90 % of their diet is feral hog, white-tailed deer, raccoon, and armadillo. Occasionally they consume rabbits, rats, and birds, and on rare occasion alligators. adults will generally eat the equivalent of 1 deer per week.

Cougars are usually quiet, but under some circumstances they do communicate through vocalizations. Sounds they make have been described as chirps, peeps, whistles, purrs, moans, screams, growls, and hisses. When frightened, kittens emit a series of short, high-pitched peeps. Kittens and mothers keep track of each other with whistles. Females signal their readiness to mate by yowling or caterwauling. ...